Thomas Gilman was the nation's No. 10 recruit in 2012 (Photos/Dave Jedlicka, Tony Rotundo)The 2016-17 collegiate wrestling season came to its conclusion this past weekend with the completion of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis. The seniors competing in that tournament were mostly fifth-year seniors, so that means in most cases they graduated high school in 2012. An interesting discussion to have is one about the overall careers of the graduated wrestlers.
Another perpetual question is if those that come into college as the best prospects perform the best in college. There's also the conversation about those that grow, develop, and thrive through their college careers from both highly touted prep prospects and being lesser touted entering college.
Below are the top 25 NCAA Division I collegiate careers for wrestlers that graduated from high school in 2012.
1. Gabe Dean (Cornell)
Rank in 2012: Weight class only
Accomplishments: Four-time All-American, three-time finalist, 2015 & 2016 NCAA champion
2. Cory Clark (Iowa)
Rank in 2012: No. 15
Accomplishments: Four-time All-American, three-time finalist, 2017 NCAA champion
3. Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)
Rank in 2012: No. 19
Accomplishments: Four-time All-American, 2016 NCAA runner-up
4. Thomas Gilman (Iowa)
Rank in 2012: No. 10
Accomplishments: Three-time All-American, 2016 NCAA runner-up
5. Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern/Arizona State)
Rank in 2012: No. 1
Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American, 2014 NCAA champion; has one year eligibility remaining, will be at Arizona State
6. T.J. Dudley (Nebraska)
Rank in 2012: 17th
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-American, 2016 NCAA runner-up
7. Lavion Mayes (Missouri)
Rank in 2012: None
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-American, 2017 NCAA runner-up
8. Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
Rank in 2012: No. 18
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-American, 2015 NCAA runner-up
9. Ty Walz (Virginia Tech)
Rank in 2012: Weight class only
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, three-time All-American
10. Michael Kroells (Minnesota)
Rank in 2012: No. 41
Accomplishments: Three-time All-American
11. Brett Pfarr (Minnesota)
Rank in 2012: None
Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American, 2017 NCAA runner-up
12. Dylan Palacio (Cornell)
Rank in 2012: No. 64
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American (also twice consolation round of 12)
13. Eric Montoya (Campbell/Nebraska)
Rank in 2012: None
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American (includes one consolation round of 12 appearance, remaining qualification as true freshman)
14. Zane Richards (Illinois)
Rank in 2012: No. 21
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American
15. Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State)
Rank in 2012: No. 100
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American
16. Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa)
Rank in 2012: No. 65
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American
17. Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State)
Rank in 2012: No. 22
Accomplishments: Two-time All-American
18. Mitch Minotti (Lehigh)
Rank in 2012: No. 31
Accomplishments: Two-time All-American
19. Willie Miklus (Missouri)
Rank in 2012: No. 27
Accomplishments: Two-time All-American, has one season eligibility remaining
20. George DiCamillo (Virginia)
Rank in 2012: No. 20
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 2017 NCAA runner-up (other three appearances were consolation round of 12, including in 2013 as true freshman)
21. Sammy Brooks (Iowa)
Rank in 2012: No. 14
Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American
22. Nathan Jackson (Indiana)
Rank in 2012: None
Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American
23. Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State)
Rank in 2012: No. 35
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier (all without a redshirt), 2015 All-American (seventh place)
24. Rossi Bruno (Michigan)
Rank in 2012: No. 13
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier (all without a redshirt), 2015 All-American (eighth place), also has additional consolation round of 12 appearance
25. Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State)
Rank in 2012: No. 3
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 2015 All-American (fifth place), also has additional consolation round of 12 appearance
Honorable Mention
Zach Brunson (Illinois)
Rank in 2012: No. 47
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 2017 All-American (sixth place)
Randy Cruz (Lehigh)
Rank in 2012: No. 37
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 2016 All-American (eighth place), also has additional consolation round of 12 appearance, qualified as true freshman in 2013
Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina/Campbell)
Rank in 2012: No. 42
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 2017 All-American (8th place), qualified as true freshman and sophomore in 2013 (round of 12) and 2014 at North Carolina prior to transfer
Tim Lambert (Nebraska)
Rank in 2012: No. 52
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, consolation round of 12 in 2017
Ross Larson (Oklahoma)
Rank in 2012: No. 61
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier
Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska)
Rank in 2012: None
Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, 2017 All-American (5th place), consolation round of 12 in other two appearances
Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin)
Rank in 2012: No. 44
Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, 2015 All-American (seventh place)
Joey Ward (North Carolina)
Rank in 2012: No. 33
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 2016 All-American (seventh place), qualified as true freshman in 2013
Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State)
Rank in 2012: None
Accomplishments: Four-time NCAA qualifier, 2016 All-American (sixth place)
Jim Wilson (Stanford)
Rank in 2012: No. 87
Accomplishments: Three-time NCAA qualifier, 2015 All-American (eighth place)
Below are some notable collegiate wrestling careers for top 100 Class of 2011 student-athletes that competed outside of Division I (alphabetical order):
Dakota Bauer (Maryville)
Rank in 2012: No. 99
Accomplishments: Two-time Division II All-American (fourth in 2015, fifth in 2016)
Joey Davis (Notre Dame College)
Rank in 2012: No. 7
Accomplishments: Four-time Division II NCAA champion from 2013-2016, without a redshirt
Dylan D'Urso (Mercyhurst College)
Rank in 2012: No. 83
Accomplishments: 2014 Division II All-American (third place)
Huston Evans (Newberry College)
Rank in 2012: No. 30
Accomplishments: Two-time Division II All-American (runner-up in 2015, seventh in 2016)
Austin Goergen (St. Cloud State)
Rank in 2012: No. 70
Accomplishments: Four-time Division II All-American (sixth in 2014, runner-up in 2015, third in 2016, third in 2017)
Devin Peterson (Wartburg)
Rank in 2012: No. 11
Accomplishments: Division III NCAA runner-up in 2015
Nick Roberts (Pitt-Johnstown)
Rank in 2012: No. 39
Accomplishments: 2016 Division II NCAA champion, also qualified for the 2014 Division I national tournament at Ohio State
Ben Stroh (Montana State-Northern)
Rank in 2012: No. 48
Accomplishments: 2017 NAIA national champion, also qualified for the 2014 and 2015 Division I national tournaments at Wyoming
Below are some notable career performances outside of collegiate wrestling, for top 100 Class of 2012 student-athletes (alphabetical order):
Max Schneider
Rank in 2012: No. 16
Accomplishments: Third in the 2016 United States senior nationals for judo at 66 kilograms
Geordan Speiller
Rank in 2012: No. 38
Accomplishments: Runner-up in the 2016 Olympic Team Trials at 75 kilogams in Greco-Roman
Greg Kuhar
Rank in 2012: No. 73
Accomplishments: Four-year letter-winner on the defensive line at Northwestern University
Jared Brooks
Rank in 2012: No. 98
Accomplishments: 12-0 starting his MMA career, about to emerge as a UFC level fighter at the 125 pound weight class
For reference purposes, below were the final top 100 Class of 2012 wrestler rankings:
1. Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Indiana)
2. Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Michigan)
3. Jimmy Gulbion (Derry, Pennsylvania)
4. Jordan Rogers (Mead, Washington)
5. Mark Grey (Blair Academy, New Jersey)
6. John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa)
7. Joey Davis (Santa Fe, California)
8. Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio)
9 Alex Cisneros (Selma, California)
10. Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Nebraska)
11. Devin Peterson (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin)
12. Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Florida)
13. Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Florida)
14. Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest, Illinois)
15. Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa)
16. Max Schneider (Chicago Lane, Illinois)
17. Tim Dudley (Irmo, South Carolina)
18. Brian Realbuto (Somers, New York)
19. Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)
20. George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio)
21. Zane Richards (Carbondale, Illinois)
22. Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Oklahoma)
23. Brandon Griffin (Sprague, Oregon)
24. Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, California)
25. Steve Congenie (Villa Park, Illinois)
26. Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio)
27. Willie Miklus (Southeast Polk, Iowa)
28. Jordan Thomas (Greenville, Michigan)
29. Gabriel Moreno (Urbandale, Iowa)
30. Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)
31. Mitch Minotti (Easton, Pennsylvania)
32. Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania)
33 Joey Ward (Moeller, Ohio)
34. Quinton Murphy (Holley Central, New York)
35. Eddie Klimara (Providence Catholic, Illinois)
36. Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, New Jersey)
37. Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania)
38. Geordan Speiller (Oviedo Florida 170 OTC
39. Nick Roberts (North Star, Pennsylvania)
40. Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio)
41. Michael Kroells (Scott West, Minnesota)
42. Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Maryland)
43. Clark Glass (Brandon, Florida)
44. Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)
45. Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pennsylvania)
46. John Rizzo (Richland, Pennsylvania)
47. Zac Brunson (Churchill, Oregon)
48. Ben Stroh (Chinook, Montana)
49. Alex Meyer (Southeast Polk, Iowa)
50. Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, Illinois)
51. Steve Spearman (Erie McDowell, Pennsylvania)
52. Tim Lambert (Forest Hills Eastern, Michigan)
53. Cooper Moore (Jackson County Central, Minnesota)
54. Brad Johnson (Lockport, Illinois)
55. Micah Barnes (Simley, Minnesota)
56. Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pennsylvania)
57. Todd Preston (Blair Academy, New Jersey)
58. Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minnesota)
59. Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Illinois)
60. Ben Morgan (Forest Lake, Minnesota)
61. Ross Larson (Ankeney, Iowa)
62. Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minnesota)
63. Hunter Weber (Marshall, Wisconsin)
64. Dylan Palacio (Long Beach, New York)
65. Dylan Peters (Denver-Tripoli, Iowa)
66. Matt Reed (Wichita Heights, Kansas)
67. Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West, Iowa)
68. Zach Nevills (Clovis, California)
69. Kyle Ayersman (Lake Central, Indiana)
70. Austin Goergen (Caledonia/Houston, Minnesota)
71. Tyler Liberatore (Wharton, Florida)
72. Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pennsylvania)
73. Greg Kuhar (St. Edward, Ohio)
74. Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, California)
75. Jared McKinley (Perry Meridian, Indiana)
76. Zach Witte (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa)
77. Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma)
78. Roland Dunlap (Muskego, Wisconsin)
79. Case Garrison St. Paris Graham, Ohio)
80. Dylan Reel (Washington, Illinois)
81. John Dreggors (Springstead, Florida)
82. Jimmy Kloc (Iriquois, New York)
83. Dylan D'Urso (Reynolds, Pennsylvania)
84. Jordan Gruettner (Muskego, Wisconsin)
85. Anthony Lock (Pioneer, New York)
86. Zack Dailey (Massillon Perry, Ohio)
87. James Wilson (McNair, California)
88. Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, Minnesota)
89. Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Virginia)
90. Joe Munos (South St. Paul, Minnesota)
91. A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pennsylvania)
92. Rylan Lubeck (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin)
93. Paul Petrov (Hanover Central, Indiana)
94. Kyle Garcia (Choctaw, Oklahoma)
95. Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, New Jersey)
96. Shaun'Qae McMurtry (Lockport, Illinois)
97. Corey Keener (Blue Mountain, Pennsylvania)
98. Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Indiana)
99. Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West, Iowa)
100. Nolan Boyd (Deer Creek, Oklahoma)
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